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Not Forever, But For Now

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Not Forever, But For Now

By: Chuck Palahniuk
Narrated by: Raphael Corkhill
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About this listen

 From the bestselling author of Fight Club comes a hilarious horror satire “equal parts saccharine caricature and startling raunch” (Kirkus Reviews) about a family of professional killers responsible for the most atrocious events in history and the young brothers that are destined to take over.

Meet Otto and Cecil. Two brothers who grew up privileged in the Welsh countryside. They enjoyed watching nature shows, playing with their pet pony, impersonating their Grandfather…and killing the help. Murder is the family business after all. Downton Abbey, this is not.

However, it’s not so easy to continue the family legacy with the constant stream of threats and distractions seemingly leaping from the hedgerow. First, there is the matter of the veritable cavalcade of escaped convicts that keep showing up at their door. Not to mention the debaucherous new tutor who has a penchant for speaking Greek and dismembering sex dolls. Then there’s Mummy’s burgeoning opioid addiction. And who knows where Daddy is. He just vanished one day after he and Mummy took a walk in the so-called “Ghost Forest.”

With Grandfather putting pressure on Otto to step up, it becomes clear that this will all end in only two ways: a nuclear apocalypse or just another day among the creeping thistle and tree peonies. And in a novel written by Chuck Palahniuk, either are equally possible. Family Life Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Literature & Fiction Satire Comedy Fiction Witty Funny

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All stars
Most relevant
This is a story that in my opinion has no direction. Repetitive and limited, centred around “getting off”. Less humorous than expected. One of Palachnuk’s weakest novels so far in my opinion. Narrator is good though.

Disappointed

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The narration in Chuck Palahniuk’s Not Forever but For Now is downright painful. It’s theatrical in the worst way, as if the narrator is constantly performing for an audience that isn’t there. The tone reeks of pretension, with every line over-delivered like it’s begging for admiration.

Instead of drawing me into the story, the narration feels like a barrier—a relentless stream of exaggerated quirks and affectations. It’s exhausting, grating, and completely undermines any chance of connecting with the material.

Palahniuk might have intended this style to feel clever or unique, but it just comes off as self-indulgent. Listening to this narration was like sitting through an amateur one-man show where every gesture is overblown and every word over-enunciated. It’s distracting, off-putting, and ultimately makes for an unpleasant reading experience.

Disappointing and painful narration

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The gay villains no one asked for but some of us need - and an ending with the tiniest utopia imaginable

A malicious, delicious ”yes, and”

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I really like Chuck and have read a trove of his books. I also enjoy any interview or talk he gives. He’s a rare man and I can’t say I’m not a fan of- if I ever were to be a fan of anyone. I never got a grip on the story, fault might be mine, and I found the language super repetitive and had a hard time understanding what was happening. It’s a given some storytelling elements and other details were smart and good fun. But in the end I just wanted it to end. I believe my only real takeaway will come when I tell people I read another one of Chucks books. I just need to find a literate person who reads interesting books first. The awesomeness av Chucks authorship is lost on too many, probably as many as the crowd who don’t know his name at all. Looking forward to the next book.

Sorry Chuck

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I hadn't read any Palahniuk in about 20 years and had forgotten his rare talent for punching a reader in the mind repeatedly with imagery that makes you wonder if you're allowed to be listening to this. I tried to explain some of what was going on to my daughter and partner at various points but I'm afraid I only traumatised them and left them wondering if I'd taken my meds today (I had - don't panic).

I got M R James vibes, like another reviewer mentioned, especially when the poor Raphael Corkhill had to read out pages of messages written in binary (01010000 01101111 01101111 01110010 00100000 01100010 01101100 01101111 01101011 01100101). I thought that the audiobook would have benefited from narration in a Welsh accent since the narrator is Welsh but other than that the reader did an excellent job, even putting appropriate emphasis on the binary!

This was a disturbing and refreshing read and I wish other writers would push out all the stops in the way Chuck does rather than stay within safe bounds. It does me good to stray into unmarked territory occasionally. I completed the book in one day and dread to think what dreams are coming tonight but I regret nothing.

Take that hand out of your pocket!

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